O’Brien’s big night puts end to Rams’ losing skid

Colorado State’s grueling streak of failure finally expired Friday night as the Rams walked off the field at Dreamstyle Stadium in Albuquerque exhaling a well-deserved sigh of relief.

CSU didn’t dominate nor were the Rams technically-sound against lowly New Mexico on the road. But for the first time since a distant, Week 2 memory against Western Illinois, Mike Bobo’s team notched a victory.

Behind junior wideout Warren Jackson’s career night, as well as an accurate showing from Nebraska transfer quarterback Patrick O’Brien, CSU picked up its 10th consecutive win over the Lobos and first FBS victory this season by a score of 35-21.

O’Brien finished with a careerbest 420 yards and three touchdowns on 25-of-34 passing. Meanwhile, Jackson had nine receptions for 214 yards, also a career-high. In addition to Jackson, UNM couldn’t handle true freshman wideout Dante Wright, who finished with 169 total yards.

In a battle between two teams who appear destined for the basement of the Mountain West Conference, CSU and UNM performed as expected through two quarters –– alarmingly unorganized.

Wright commenced the sloppiness less than five minutes into the action when the speedy wide receiver fumbled what would have been a 60-yard gain with the Rams leading 7-0. But UNM couldn’t capitalize on the mistake — the first of many blunders in 30 minutes of play.

Exemplifying the early carelessness of both teams, Lobos running back Bryson Carroll intentionally dropped the ball at the 1-yard line, thinking he had already crossed the goal line on a 56-yard scamper later in the frame.

Since no Ram was in the area to recover the fumble, the ball stayed with the Lobos. UNM’s Kentrail Moran punched it in on the next play to pull the Lobos within one after dodging a major bullet.

Leading 7-6 following UNM’s missed extra point, senior running back Marvin Kinsey Jr coughed the ball up for the seventh time this season at the Lobos’ half-yard line. The fumbleprone tailback’s error temporarily shifted the momentum in a drastic manner.

The turnover soiled an impressive O’Brien-led drive in which the redshirt junior completed four consecutive thirddown passes to move the sticks. A roughing the punter called on the Rams ruined a potential three-and-out during UNM’s next sequence as the Lobos then seized their first and only lead –– 14-7 via a successful two-point conversion in the second quarter.

Thanks to Jackson, who returned to the field after missing two games with a shoulder injury, CSU bounced back to end the half dominantly. The 6-foot-6 target hauled in a jumping-grab near midfield before racing to paydirt for a game-tying, 87yard touchdown.

Clinging to a 21-14 advantage after a Kinsey score with five ticks left in the first half, Wright raced for 64 yards to set up a short Kinsey touchdown in the third frame –– extending CSU’s lead to 14.

Though the Rams defense stood tall for a while after –– forcing three straight punts to begin the half –– CSU left the door open for its opposition. Carroll’s second touchdown of the evening trimmed UNM’s deficit to seven early in the fourth as Cayden Camper then missed a 46-yard field goal wide left.